The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the Quick Stop Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…
I don’t often feature something that actually hasn’t hit shelves yet, but I want to make sure everyone heads over to their favorite online book emporium and pre-orders the trade collection of Josh Fialkov’s amazing comic series Elk’s Run (Random House, $19.95 SRP). Just do it… Then head back here and we’ll get on with this week’s shopping guide.
What I love so much about The Wire is that you never get the same show when you come back in for another season. The focus shifts and suddenly you’re dropped into a different arena. The third season (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP) focuses on the city’s faltering drug war, with a desperate mayor eager to claim some sort of victory before the upcoming election in the face of a police department running on empty. The 5-disc set features the full 12-episode run, plus a Museum of television & Radio Q&A, a conversation with creator David Simon, and five audio commentaries.
Smart and savvy, Brendon Frye (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) has chosen to remain an outsider – but soon finds himself up to his neck in a high school crime ring when he tries to solve the murder of the girl he loved. Brick (Universal, Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP) is a sharp, brilliantly executed old school detective story, I can’t compliment Gordon-Levitt enough on a riveting performance that kept my eyes glued for the duration (which is no small task for a multitasker like me). Bonus features include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and a featurette on the casting process.
Just when I begin to sink into a full-on depression about the state of comics today, the latest parcel from Twomorrows always brightens my spirits, bringing me back to far happier times and spotlighting amazing work worthy of the attention. Three releases worth snagging are the first volume collecting Roy Thomas’s Alter Ego (Twomorrows, $21.95 SRP), Danny Fingeroth and Mike Manley’s How To Create Comics: From Script To Print ($13.95 SRP), and my personal fave, Modern Masters: Walter Simonson ($14.95 SRP).
As a fan of Chappelle’s Show right from its premiere, I was incredibly leery of the trio of episodes cobbled together from the footage shot for the show’s third season prior to Dave’s abrupt departure. Based on just how much material was cut from the first two seasons because it didn’t quite make the bar, I can only imagine that a fair share of the sketches shot would have been cut long before a real third season would have aired, just in the natural vetting process. After viewing the Frankenstein-episodes featured on Chappelle’s Show: The Lost Episodes (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP), my fears were entirely justified and, sadly, borne out by the material on display. Of the dozen or so pieces, only about 3 were truly worthy of the show’s legacy (and the bulk of that strong material is in the first episode presented here, most of which is a rather unsubtle look at exactly where Dave’s head was at and why his flight to Africa should have come as no surprise to anyone paying attention), while the rest range from average to abysmal. It really is a sad way for such an incredible show to go out, but I guess that’s business. Bonus materials include additional unaired sketches, deleted scenes, bloopers, a making-of, and audio commentary.
In one of those cases of “What do you mean a book like this hasn’t come out before?”, I wholeheartedly recommend, suggest, prod, and poke you into getting a copy of Steve Allen and the Original Tonight Show (Prometheus Books, $26.00 SRP), which details the formative era of late night television and one of its main pioneers, whose long shadow still looms large over his heirs.
As soon as I watched the pilot, I feared that Prison Break (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$55.98 SRP) was going to be one of those shows that had a high concept that would eventually run out of steam and collapse in a pathetic, clichéd mess (see Twin Peaks and X-Files). At least for the first season, the steam is still there, and I’m eager to see exactly how the brothers Scofield will make their break, what the big conspiracy is, and whether Michael can ever get that tattoo removed. The 6-disc set features all 22 episodes, plus select episode audio commentaries, a trio of behind-the-scenes featurettes, Fox Movie Channel’s Making the Scene, and alternate/deleted scenes.
When it first premiered, I absolutely adored Adult Swim’s Sealab 2021. It was odd, it was surreal, but it was also funny as hell in a decidedly bent fashion. However, the show hit a significant hurdle when the actor who played the loony Captain Murphy – Harry Goz – passed away. Unfortunately, the show lost a lynchpin, and never was able to recover the same level of, well, funny that they’d lost. By the time the final episodes of the series – contained in the new 4th season set (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) rolled around, the writing was clearly on the wall and they very appropriately decided to close up shop. The episodes are certainly not their best, but I thank them for giving me Captain Murphy and a nice footnote to the long career of Harry Goz. The 2-disc set features the last 13 episodes, plus deleted scenes, featurettes, and an alternate ending to “Legacy of Laughter.”
Another Adult Swim original marking it’s final DVD release is The Brak Show (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), which – although it ended on a much higher note – definitely stepped away as the well was beginning to run dry on the twisted suburban adventures of Brak, Zorak, Mom, and Dad. There are no bonus features on the 2-disc Volume 2 set – it’s just the last 14 episodes.
At first, I honestly wasn’t sure if the new Ween album, Shinola: Vol. 1 (Chocodog Records, $14.98 SRP) was complete genius or complete crap. Over its 12-track run, I vacillated between the two until I heard the last track, “Someday,” and it clicked – and I’m happy to say, it’s the positive rather than the negative.
When I saw the original theatrical cut of Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven, I was less-than-impressed by the cluttered, somewhat incomprehensible morass of it all. I’m happy to say that his revised and expanded director’s cut (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) is a vast improvement, taking what was a disappointing entry in his career and making film that – while not great – is certainly the mess it was. The 4-disc set features an introduction from Scott, audio commentaries, a 6-part feature-length documentary on the making of the film an its eventual director’s cut, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes on various aspects of the production, cast rehearsal footage, visual effects breakdowns, storyboard and conceptual art galleries, footage from the premieres, trailers, TV spots, and more.
It’s not your average Spike Lee flick, and maybe it was the surprise of something different that made me get a real kick out of Inside Man (Universal, Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP), an action set piece about a high stakes bank robbery gone pear-shaped, leaving a detective (Denzel Washington) to deal with both the robber (Clive Owen) and a power broker (Jodie Foster) with an agenda of her own. Bonus features include a conversation between Lee and Washington, an audio commentary from Lee, deleted scenes, and a making-of featurette.
Following the same release pattern of its companion show, He-Man, we get The Best of She-Ra: Princess of Power (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). The 2-disc set features the original pilot film The Secret of the Sword, plus the top 5 episodes as voted by fans. The set is also packed with bonus materials, including a brand new behind-the-scenes documentary, an audio commentary on Secret of the Sword, a music video featurette, and more of the collectible postcards that have been featured in the He-Man sets, this time by Brandon Peterson and Joe Chiodo. Keep an eye out for the first seasonal volume in the near future.
Proving once again that they’re the only company out there who should be doing releases of cartoon shows, BCI has managed to make a special edition worth owning of the largely mediocre animated Flash Gordon series (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). Running just 24 episodes, they’re all featured in this 4-disc set, which also contains a newly produced retrospective documentary, a trio of episode commentaries, storyboard-to-clip comparisons, a gallery, and more (plus another pair of collectible postcards). Why couldn’t BCI have been the ones to put out the Disney catalogue, such as DuckTales and Darkwing Duck?
Finally giving it the definitive edition it deserves, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Fox, Rated PG, DVD-$26.98 SRP) adds to the bonus features already found on the original DVD release, winding up with 2 audio commentaries, a making-of featurettes, a featurette on the real Butch & Sundance, an extended making-of documentary, a History Through the Lens documentary, interviews with the cast and crew, deleted scenes, trailers, and more.
The fourth season of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP)shook up the status quo by sending Will and Carlton off to college, and increasing the comedy with Uncle Phil (the always wonderful James Avery). The 4-disc set is, sadly, completely featureless… Come on, you couldn’t even get Alfonso Ribeiro?
With the release of second volume of season 4, the deluxe Starburst Editions of Farscape (ADV, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) is drawing to a close, with only a single release remaining to finish off the series. So far, the Starburst sets have been worthy reissues, packed with new bonus materials that should satisfy the most diehard of fans (short of having Ben Browder and Claudia Black packed in every case).
Examining their formative years, Rolling Stones: Under Review 1962-1966 (Sexy Intellectual, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP) is a nicely presented analysis of the rock royalty as they exploded from a bar band to a worldwide phenomena.
Craig Armstrong’s music for Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center (Sony Classical, $18.98 SRP) is just as understated and subtle as you’d hope would accompany so touchy a subject matter, never devolving into unnecessary (and unwelcome) bombast that would turn the flick into a Hollywood cliché. Give it a spin.
Of the three films featured in the new Jayne Mansfield Collection (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) – which include The Girl Can’t Help It and The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw – my favorite has to be the Madison Avenue satire Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, starring a young Tony Randall at his comic best as the titular adman desperately trying to climb the corporate ladder. Fox has taken a page from Warner’s beautiful catalogue releases by getting commentaries and classic Fox Movietone featurettes for each of the discs.
You know, the first season really didn’t phase me too much, as it was so much brainless eye candy, but the second season of MTV’s Laguna Beach (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP) is when the contrived crap of it all really started to drive nails into my cranium. I truly, honestly, would not care if the sea along the beach they so adored just swallowed up each and every one of them. The 3-disc set features deleted scenes, cast interviews, home videos, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and more.
Regardless of the content, I love the designs of Xiaolin Showdown (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), the first season of which is now hitting you local DVD emporium. It’s like a cross between Powerpuff Girls and Teen Titans, and it’s a dynamic I really dig.
Far from inheriting an exhausted license, McFarlane Toys has found new and quite fun permutations in their take on the Simpsons action figure line, with the latest release being the Couch Gag Playset (McFarlane Toys, $20.00 SRP), where you can mix-and-match the family’s positions via magnets located throughout the figures. Stack ’em wackily, and join me in hoping for a really nice Power Plant playset in the near future.
So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…
I’ve never really been a huge video game fan. Sure, I owned the obligatory Nintendo and even Super Nintendo “back in the day,” but I generally only played games that were pretty straightforward and could be jumped into and out of quite easily (Super Mario Brothers, Zelda. Donkey Kong, etc.). As soon as my family got our first PC (and we’re talking late 80’s, here), however, I was instantly taken with the games being produced by Sierra Online – epic adventures like King’s Quest, Space Quest, Heroes Quest (aka Quest for Glory) and even Lesirue Suit Larry. Really, they were like electronic, interactive storybooks, as the tale being told and the characters themselves were just as engrossing as solving the next puzzle or finding the parts to a hyperdrive engine. That kind of puzzle-based, interactive storytelling has largely fallen by the wayside, replaced by massive RPGs or first-person shooters (often with an online tournament angle). Well, just when I was despairing I’d ever see a fun little story-based adventure come down the pike, the folks at Telltale Games (www.telltalegames.com) have been adapting Jeff Smith’s sprawling Bone saga in point-and-click chapter form, with each arc of his longform story equaling it’s own installment, downloadable over the internet for $12.99 each or you can purchase a CD and download for only $17.99. So far, the first two chapters are available (“Out From Boneville” and “The Great Cow Race”), with more on the way. The design work is truly stunning, but best of all – they’re fun… and at the end of each game, you’re definitely eagerly awaiting the next outing.
If you’re not familiar with Jeff Smith’s Bone saga and the adventures of the three Bone cousins (Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone) in the heart of the mysterious Valley), I heartily recommend you pick up the colorized editions (the original comics were printed in black & white) that are being released by Scholastic publishing’s graphic novel line, Graphix. Although softcover editions of the first four arcs – “Out From Boneville,” “The Great Cow Race,” “Eyes of the Storm,” and “The Dragonslayer” are available ($ SRP each), I suggest you snag the beautiful hardcover editions instead ($18.99 SRP), as this is definitely a series you’ll want to put in a place of honor on your shelf (and it makes the perfect gift for any children in your life – in fact, my nephew already has a set on the way).
With each new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, I harbor the fear that the delicate balancing act that Larry David’s been able to pull off will come undone, toppling like a house of cards and leaving a bad aftertaste of brilliant comedy gone south. Thankfully, things are still working as they should in the fifth season (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), as his father’s stroke leads to the revelation that Larry may have been adopted – and not Jewish – a crisis of friendship develops when an ailing Richard Lewis needs a kidney, a smoking jacket is stolen from a famous raconteur, a Christ nail causes family strife, and much more. The 2-disc set also features a pair of documentaries chronicling the development, casting, and execution of the show.
Much like Adaptation before it, Tristram Shandy: A Cock & Bull Story (HBO, Rated R, DVD-$27.98 SRP) is a film about the attempt to film a book long seen as unfilmmable – in this case, Laurence Sterne’s The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. Starring Steve Coogan as Shandy, the flick flashes back and forth between Shandy’s 18th century life and the filmmakers 21st century attempt to crack the key to filming it, it’s an amazingly satisfying, and funny, piece of work. Bonus features include an audio commentary with Coogan and Rob Brydon, behind-the-scenes footage, an extended interview with Coogan, deleted scenes, and the theatrical trailer.
As much as Lost tries to maintain an off-kilter sense of “What’s going on?” and “Where’s it all going?” and “What’s reality?”, nothing they’ve done holds a candle to the brilliant mind f*** (to use the proper term, natch) that was The Prisoner (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$139.95 SRP). Retirement is not an option for Patrick McGoohan’s top secret agent, as he’s abducted from his London home and placed in a mysterious area known only as The Village, where everyone is known by a number and they all have important secrets locked in their noggin. The newly christened prisoner Number 6 tries not only to retain his humanity in the 17-episode run, but also find a way to free himself. The newly remastered 10-disc set features rare behind-the-scenes footage, an alternate version of the episode “The Chimes of Big Ben”, original broadcast trailers, a new limited edition collector’s booklet, and more. Get it. Now.
As self-deprecating as his narration is, I think Jeffrey Ross’s Patriot Act (Hart Sharp, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) is one of the most fascinating films I’ve seen this year. Essentially a home movie of his very first USO trip ever, deep into the heart of Iraq shortly after the invasion to entertain the already beleaguered troops, it’s refreshingly candid and largely apolitical, presenting the view with a document of the reality on the ground. Ross was spurred on by the legacy of Bob Hope’s tireless trips overseas for the sake of the troops’ morale, and it’s that respect for just how important an ounce of entertainment is to soldiers on the frontline that shines through. Honestly, this is highly recommended. Bonus features include a director’s statement, additional scenes, additional footage from another USO tour, additional aerials of Iraq, and a featurette on the 5-hour Amsterdam layover.
Words can not express just how much I’ve come to love Warner’s “Signature” collections, the latest being their 4-flick set spotlighting the legendary Bogie & Bacall (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). The films in question are To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep, Dark Passage, and Key Largo. All 4 are definite must-haves, bolstered by a bonus materials including making-of featurettes, vintage cartoons, and more (the prerelease version of The Big Sleep is fascinating).
The writing was certainly on the wall during the seventh season of Three’s Company (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) that the show was winding down. Jack (John Ritter) opened his restaurant, Terri (Priscilla Barnes) flirts with marriage, and Janet (Joyce DeWitt) has a run-in with Mr. Furley’s (Don Knotts) young nephew. The 4-disc set features all 22 episodes, plus a very nice (and much appreciated) little tribute to Knotts.
With a 2-year-old nephew – and as an uncle not wanting him to fall under the evil sway of the modern crop of “children’s entertainment” – I’m always on the lookout for classic books, DVDs, and toys to get him. When I found out that the classic “Little Golden Books” were being re-released with accompanying audio CDs in addition to the original books (Golden Books, $7.99 SRP), I knew little Cameron had to have them. How could I resist making sure he got to experience Tawny Scrawny Lion, Scuffy The Tugboat, The Poky Little Puppy, and The Saggy Baggy Elephant?
It’s very rare that I actually find the time to make it into a movie theater to see a flick on the big screen, so it’s always a big disappointment when the wheel of fortune delivers those infrequent visits a turkey of a pic, but a sheer delight when it’s actually a great film. For all its flaws in pacing and the changes it made to Alan Moore’s source material, I truly dug seeing V for Vendetta (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$34.98 SRP) on the big screen (LA’s Arclight, to be exact). Sure, it’s a rather blatant, unsubtle criticism of the times we find ourselves in, but it’s that decided lack of subtlety that made it such a rollicking criticism of the powers that be. Every once in awhile, blatant works – and it certainly did here. The 2-disc set contains a making-of documentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and the theatrical trailer.
Not content to let everyone else jump into the graphic novel pool, Disney Press has taken the plunge as well, inaugurating their line with adaptations of Lilo & Stitch and Finding Nemo (Disney Press, $3.99 SRP each). These Disney Junior Graphic Novels are pretty faithful to the films, and the art is of the same polished style you’ll find in the average issue of Disney Adventures. Fun for the kiddies, and a great gift.
I’m not sire if we really needed a knock-off of both Resident Evil and Underworld, but that’s certainly what Ultraviolet (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$28.95 SRP) feels like. It even has Milla Jovovich as the woman caught in the futuristic civil war between the government and the disease-riddled subculture that’s been bred for strength, speed, and endurance (yes, you did just get the whole zombie vibe). It’s pretty eye candy, though, and a largely inoffensive way to spend a Saturday night’s DVD spin. The unrated edition contains additional footage, plus commentary from Jovovich and a making-of featurette.
Most will dismiss it as light pop, but I always enjoyed my Bruce Hornsby and the range CD, purchased many years ago and always a great disc to work to (I could listen to “The Way It Is” on repeat for hours… and, sadly, have). Having only ever listened to that disc, 90% of the material found on the new 5-disc Bruce Hornsby: Intersections 1985-2005 (Sony Legacy, $49.98 SRP) was new to me, and I liked what I heard. Packed with album tracks, film music, and even a bonus DVD, it’s already in my listening rotation.
The stars just keep on dying in the complete fourth season of Tales From The Crypt (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), with gore turns from Brad Pitt, Cathy Moriarty, Treat Williams, Timothy Dalton, Robert Patrick, David Warner, Twiggy, Christopher reeve, Margot Kidder, Meat Loaf, Blythe Danner, David Morse, and more. The 3-disc set features all 14 episodes, plus audio commentary on “What’s Cookin'” and a guest star montage.
I tried and tried, but I never could get into HBO’s Carnivale. I admired the epic story of the literal struggle between good and evil they were trying to pull off, but it never clicked for me. There are fans out there, though, who will want to pick up the complete second (and, so far, final) season set (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP), featuring all 12 episodes plus audio commentaries, a Museum of Television & Radio panel, a “Creating the Scene” featurette, And a half-hour documentary explaining the show’s mythology (if they’d actually aired this, I might have actually clicked with it).
One night, little Sophie is snatched from her bed by a giant – coincidentally, the titular BFG (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP) of Roald Dahl’s children’s tale, as Sophie and the big friendly giant must stop the nefarious, kid-devouring plans of the evil giants Bloodbottler, Fleshlumpeater, and Bonecruncher before the nasty lot make it to England and the feast begins. A classic little Dahl tale, brought to animated life by the folks at Cosgrove Hall.
If you want to bring a decided hipster vibe to your iPod (or your next party), then pick up the newest releases from Sony Legacy’s “Signature Series”, featuring best-of collections spotlighting old school songsmiths like Count Basie, Sarah Vaughn, Dizzy Gillespie, Rosemary Clooney, and Billie Holiday (Sony Legacy, $11.98 SRP each). Come on-a my house, indeed.
While I’ve always enjoyed the “New Rules” segment on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, I would have preferred complete episodes of the show as opposed to the concentrated dose of those segments collected on the Bill Maher: New Rules disc (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP). It’s best to take its 45-minute run time in small chunks, and hope they’ll eventually release complete seasons.
Has it really been 10 years since Blue’s Clues first hit the air? It must be, since Nick Jr. has released a 10th anniversary DVD, Blue’s Biggest Stories (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP), and CD, Blue’s Biggest Hits (Nick Records, $12.98 SRP). Whatever happened to Steve, anyway?
It seemed that it took forever and a day for Beavis & Butthead to finally hit DVD, but now, with the release of the 3rd Mike Judge Collection (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP) of episodes, they seem to be coming fast and furious. Fans will rejoice at the inclusion of another 42 cartoons, the original uncut Frog Baseball, 16 music videos with commentary, the 3rd part of the “Taint of Greatness” documentary, promos, special appearances, and much more.
The newest Star Trek: Fan Collective collection this time features 11 episodes dealing with those belles of the ball, the Klingons (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP), with 2 original series episodes (“Errand of Mercy”, “The Trouble With Tribbles”), 4 TNG episodes (“A Matter of Honor”, “Sins of the Father”, “Redemption” Parts 1 & 2), 3 DS9 episodes (including the brilliant “Trials and Tribble-ations”, plus “The way of the Warrior” and “The Sword of Khaless”), a single Voyager episode (“Barge of the Dead”), and the abysmal pilot to Enterprise (“Broken Bow”). Bonus materials include 3 new text commentaries from the Okudas, as well as an audio commentary on “Broken Bow” from Berman and Braga.
While not Hammer horrors, the 3 films being released under the “Amicus Collection” banner are very much in the same vein as those early 70’s fright and gore fests, including starring Hammer regular Peter Cushing. The Beast Must Die, Asylum, and And Now The Screaming Starts (MPI, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) are definitely not the best of the genre, but they are great rainy day flicks that any horror fan should at least check out.
Nothing sums up that loveable early-80’s bombast more than the albums of Journey, which is why the secret guilty pleasure part of my brain was delighted by the new remasters (with bonus tracks!) of their albums Escape, Departure, Evolution, Infinity, plus their Greatest Hits (Sony Legacy, $11.98 SRP each). Now I can’t get “Any Way You Want It” out of my head. Bastards!
Peta Wilson returns in the complete fourth season of La Femme Nikita (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP), as Nikita’s marriage makes for some interesting revelations, while the series’ agenda comes to the fore. The 6-disc set features all 22 episodes, plus commentary on 2 episodes, deleted scenes with optional commentary, and a gag reel.
Completely unnecessary and ultimately innocuous fluff that could just as easily been a direct-to-video, Disney’s remake of the Shaggy Dog (Walt Disney, Rated PG, DVD-$29.99 SRP) stars Tim Allen as the transformed human in what amounts to a cross between the Shaggy original, its sequel The Shaggy DA, and the “learning to be a good dad” arc of The Santa Clause. The disc features an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
Even though I consider myself a bit of a minor WWII buff, my knowledge of the events in the Pacific theater have been dwarfed by those of the European front, so I was often surprised by the knowledge gleaned from the History Channel’s D-Days in the Pacific: The Path To Victory From Guadalcanal To Okinawa (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP). The 3-disc set features four documentaries and the A&E Biographies of Gen. MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz.
The Ewing family is rocked as patriarch Jock Ewing is killed in a helicopter crash, but the billion-dollar bickering soon begins as each member of the family maneuvers in true Ewing fashion to secure their piece of the action, while J.R. and Sue Ellen divorce – plus murder, kidnapping , and more – in the fifth season of Dallas (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). The 5-disc set also features a look at the real Southfork Ranch.
I wasn’t terribly impressed with the trailer for the new Daniel Clowes flick, Art School Confidential, even though I got a real kick out of his original strips detailing the odd little universe that exists within the walls of your average art school. You can pick up those original strips along with Clowes’ screenplay (Fantagraphics, $14.95 SRP) and see for yourself.
Not being a religious person, I admit that the internal struggles facing the potential priests in the 5-part series God or the Girl (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$24.95 SRP) were a bit lost on me, as the potential padres faced a life with either women or God. To each his own, I suppose. The 2-disc set also features deleted scenes, a mini-episode, and more.
Decoding the Past: Secrets of the Koran (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$24.95 SRP) is one of those documentaries that take on a fresh relevance thanks to current events, and its in-depth look at the writing, development, and influence of the Muslim faith’s most important text is a necessary bit of information in understanding the current world we find ourselves in. The disc also features the “Muhammad” episode of A&E’s Biography.
There’s nothing like cheap, lowbrow comedy, and that’s certainly the stock in trade of Blue Collar TV (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), the second season collection of which features all 13 episodes plus unaired sketches and a deleted “Booth” skits reel.
Before the legendary film and wonderful TV series, Paul Reubens first introduced the world to Pee-Wee Herman via the HBO special The Pee-Wee Herman Show (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP), an absolutely hilarious document of the live show originated at Hollywood’s Groundlings Theater in 1981. Puppets, music, cartoons, colorful characters and more were the order of the day, in an homage to the classic kiddie shows of the 50’s and 60’s. Center stage, though, was Reubens as Pee-Wee, a whirling dervish of a man-child whose infectious enthusiasm for the world he inhabits sucks the audience in hook, line, and sinker.
It’s no Brisco County, Jr., but Bruce Campbell still shines in the all-too-brief run of Jack of All Trades (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), as a Zorro-esque American Spy named Jack Stiles who is sent to the tiny East Indies island of Palau Palau by Thomas Jefferson and must work to thwart the advances of Napoleon’s France in that region of the world. Teamed with a local British agent and inventor, Emilia Rothschild, Jack occasionally dons the garb of the masked Daring Dragoon to aid in the fight against America’s enemies. The 3-disc set features all 22 episodes, but sadly no extras.
Reno’s finest return for the complete third season of Reno 911! (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$26.99 SRP), which finds our favorite deputies released from prison after being framed by the corrupt Reno D.A., and briefly dumped into civilian life. Back in uniform, there’s an awkward appearance on a kiddie show, a SARS scare, a new Hummer, a new deputy, and more. Bonus features include over an hour of outtakes, action figure promos, audio commentaries, and even some easter eggs.
It’s been a long, long, LONG wait for the Steven Spielberg-produced Warner Bros. cartoons to hit DVD, and while Tiny Toons is still MIA, fans will be eagerly snapping up the first volumes of both Animaniacs and Pinky and The Brain (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP each). The 5-disc Animaniacs set features the show’s first 25 episodes, plus voice artist Maurice LaMarche interviewing his fellow castmates in the bonus feature Animaniacs Live!. Meanwhile, Pinky and The Brain advance their plans to take over the world with 4-discs and 22 episodes, plus an interview with Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche (Pinky & The Brain) and voice director Andrea Romano. Must have more!
If you were to infuse the touchy-feely, golden-hued “embrace me!”-ness of Steven Spielberg into the sci-fi/fantasy anthology structure of The Twilight Zone (you know, soften all the edges) you’d get Amazing Stories (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). Packed with stars both established and nascent (including Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins, John Lithgow, Charlie Sheen, and Kiefer Sutherland) and helmed by directors like Joe Dante, Robert Zemeckis, and Spielberg himself, it was a mid-80’s experiment that ultimately proved too expensive for television. The 4-disc first season set features all 24 episodes, plus deleted scenes.
Warner’s aptly named Tough Guys Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) features 6 hard-boiled flicks from the studio’s golden era, starring the likes of Cagney, Robinson, Raft, and O’Brien. The films in question are Bullets Or Ballots, Each Dawn I Die, G Men, San Quentin, A Slight Case Of Murder, and City For Conquest. Besides being newly remastered, the set is also loaded with commentaries, vintage newsreels and featurettes, cartoons, and much more.
There are only so many ways to document a live concert experience on film. Leave it to the Beastie Boys (Michael Diamond, Adam Yauch, and Adam Horovitz) to reinvent the hoary genre, distributing 50 DV and Hi-8 cameras to fans and letting them document the Boys’ October 2004 concert in Madison Square Garden as they saw fit. Painstakingly edited together by Yauch, Awesome, I Shot That! (Velocity/Thinkfilm, Rated R, DVD-$29.99 SRP) is a thrilling, altogether new way to take in an event, infused with the energy of fandom and supported by a band who truly gets that the future is about empowering the audience. The DVD features a band commentary, a cappella vocal tracks, a “hidden detours” featurette, world tour intros and shout-outs, and much more.
You’re not going to get a more definitive document of the production and legacy of John Carpenter’s legendary horror flick than Halloween: 25 Years of Terror (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP). The 2-disc set features the in-depth documentary itself, plus panel discussions, galleries, a tour of the filming locations, extended interviews, on-dept footage, and more. Also hitting disc in remastered “Divimax” editions are Halloween 4 and 5 (Anchor Bay, Rated R, DVD-$19.95 SRP each).
I’m a big fan of the recent trend (gaining momentum at numerous studios) of getting plenty of relatively niche catalogue titles out fast and easy via themed box-sets. Case in point is the first volume of the Will Rogers Collection (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), featuring a quartet of the legendary wits feature films, including Life Begins At 40, In Old Kentucky, Doubting Thomas, and Steamboat ‘Round The Bend. What could have been simple bare-bones releases instead sport audio commentaries, restoration comparisons, Fox Movietone news footage of Rogers, and the A&E Biography “Will Rogers: An American Original.”
Trek fans will be pleased to know that Titan Books has begun collecting the long out-of-print late-80’s comic book adventures of the crew of the Starship Enterprise, featuring the crew of both Kirk and Picard. The latest volume of the original Star Trek collects Peter David’s The Trial of James T. Kirk (Titan Books, $19.95 SRP), while The Next Generation contains Michael Jan Friedman’s The Battle Within (Titan Books, $19.95 SRP). Even better, all the Trek releases feature interviews with castmembers.
I love it when one of those often-bastardized childhood mainstays finally gets its proper treatment on DVD, and I’m happy to add the first volume of the newly remastered, completely uncut Ultraman (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) to that list. The 3-disc Series 1: Volume 1 features the first 20 episodes in their original form, plus interviews with the English dub team (who also voiced the original Speed Racer, a monster encyclopedia, the U.S. opening credits, and an 8-page booklet.
They’ve released the pilot and a best-of cross-section in the past, but Universal finally decides to do it right and begin releasing season sets of the original Incredible Hulk series, starring Bill Bixby as Dr. David Banner and Lou Ferrigno as his green-skinned, purple-pantsed alter-ego. The complete first season (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) features all 12 episodes (including the 2-hour pilot film, with commentary from writer/director/producer Kenneth Johnson), plus a bonus episode from season 2 (“Stop the Presses”).
Okay, I can understand giving Road House (MGM/UA, Not Rated, DVD-$19.94 SRP) the special edition treatment – Crow T. Robot was right in his assessment that the Patrick Swayze as consummate bar bouncer flick was cinema gold, and busting kneecaps if bastards ever touch a person’s car is legitimate wisdom to live by. The new edition features an audio commentary from director Rowdy Herrington, “On the Road House” featurette, “What Would Dalton Do?” documentary, and a pretty damn funny “fan” commentary from Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier.
However, I can’t understand the purpose of Road House 2 (MGM/UA, Rated R, DVD-$24.96 SRP), which stars Jonathan Schaech as an undercover DEA agent and… oh, who cares? It does, however, feature Jake Busey, who is morphing ever more into the spitting image of his father, sans the legitimate crazy.
It’s always unfortunate when a browse through a film’s “Art Of” book reveals designs and concepts far better than those that finally wound up on screen. An excellent case in point is The Art of Superman Returns (Chronicle Books, $40.00 SRP), a nicely illustrated book loaded with artwork far more engaging than what we got in the film itself, not the least of which was Superman’s costume. If you don’t believe me, pick up a copy of this handsome volume and see for yourself.
It’s taken a few years and a few tries, but we’ve finally gotten a definitive special edition release of Some Like It Hot (MGM/UA, Not Rated, DVD-$24.96 SRP). Looking and sounding pretty damn spiffy, it’s also packed with a new audio commentary (with both Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon), a pair of newly-produced documentaries, retrospective featurettes, a pressbook gallery, and the original theatrical trailer.
The improvisational comedy Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) is the story of Bobby Dukes (Rob Corddry), a one-time Paintball hero who becomes a pariah when he cheats during a championship competition (he wiped the paint off and continued playing). Gone for years, he returns a changed man bent on assembling a team and reclaiming his lost honor. Bonus features include both cast and filmmaker commentaries, outtakes, deleted scenes, and Bobby Dukes’s video diary.
Before movie stardom beckoned, Clint Eastwood was Rowdy Yates in Rawhide (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP), the classic Western series making its long-awaited arrival on DVD. The 7-disc set features all 22 episodes, plus a bonus episode from Season 2.
I know, in the rational part of my brain, that I really shouldn’t like Benchwarmers (Sony, Rated PG-13, DVD-$28.95 SRP). In fact, I should think it’s a tacky trifle of a lightweight comedy. Unfortunately, its underdog story of a trio of grown-up losers (Rob Schneider, David Spade, and Jon Heder) who form a 3-man Little Legue team in order reclaim the pride they never had as bullied nerds when they were kids. It’s a slapstick comedy with the same kind of Bad News Bears meets Dodgeball meets Revenge of the Nerds] meets Baseketball heart that always sucker-punches the little logic man in my head. The DVD features audio commentaries, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and more.
I don’t know how it happened, but creator Aaron McGruder managed to turn his funny, socially-relevant strip The Boondocks into an airless, unfunny cartoon on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block. If you don’t believe me, just try and sit through the 15 episodes contained in the complete first season set (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP). It’s unfortunate, because I really dig the strip… I just wish its spirit had survived the adaptation. Bonus features include audio & video commentaries, a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, animatics, unaired promos, and storyboards.
With nothing but survival on his mind and living on the societal fringe in Johannesburg, a young man named Tsotsi (Miramax, Rated R, DVD-$29.95 SRP) steals a car in the night. In the backseat, however, he finds a baby that may very well be the key to his redemption and the key to a better life. Intense and captivating, it’s a drama I won’t soon forget. The DVD features an audio commentary with writer/director Gavin Hood, deleted scenes and an alternate ending with optional commentary, a making-of featurette, and Hood’s short film The Storekeeper.
Leave it to VH1 to assemble collections tying into their “We Are The 80’s” branding (Sony Legacy, $11.98 SRP each) that strike all the right (yet so wrong) guilty pleasures. The artists getting releases in the initial batch are Loverboy, Eddie Money, the Bangles, Scandal, A Flock of Seagulls, Bow Wow Wow, and Rick Springfield. How sad is it that you are, at the very least, intrigued by what tracks are on each disc?
There are some things that are lost but are treasured when found, and then there are some things that deserve to be lost. In the latter category falls the increasingly mediocre John Kricfalusi’s attempt to resurrect Ren & Stimpy as an “Adult Party Cartoon” – unfortunately, most of the “adult” humor falls into the scatological and sexual category. The 2-disc Ren & Stimpy: The Lost Episodes (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$26.99 SRP) contains the complete Spike TV run, plus interviews and episode intros.
I first saw the now iconic multiple personality drama Sybil (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) – based on a true story and starring Sally Field as the titular woman whose life is shattered into multiple pieces as a result of a tortured childhood – in my high school psychology class. The story is just as powerful today, if only for Field’s memorable performance. The new collector’s edition features a retrospective documentary, a Sybil therapy session, and Sybil’s paintings.
Amanda Bynes flirts with Just One of the Boys and Ladybugs territory in She’s The Man (Dreamworks, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.95 SRP), with a mad plan to get on the high school boys’ soccer team by dressing up as her twin brother Sebastian. And then she proceeds to not only win the big game as Sebastian, but fall in love with the star forward. Oh, the shenanigans that ensue!. The DVD features an audio commentary, deleted scenes, a making-of featurette, a gag reel, a music video, and more.
At least Warner Bros. is relatively upfront that their Television Favorites collections (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP each) – a bargain-priced disc featuring a handful of episodes from a given series – is a way of testing whether demand exists for seasonal releases of the series featured. The latest shows to get their shot at the brass ring are the TGIF standby Step By Step and the Linda Lavin classic Alice. Go vote with your wallets, people!
Prior to his recent examination of the true history of the peoples we’ve come to know by the Greco-Roman term “Barbarians”, Terry Jones exploded the myths of the Middle Ages via Terry Jones’ Medieval Lives (BBC Books, $14.95 SRP), which has just been released in paperback form. With writing partner Alan Ereira, Jones deconstructs the false representation of the medieval period that was begun in the Renaissance and solidified in the 19th century, dealing with everything from Knights and Damsels in Distress to Mercenaries, Minstrels, and the idea that they thought the world was flat (they didn’t, by the way – it was a 19th century myth created by American writer Washington Irving). A great read.
One of the many staples of my misbegotten childhood was evenings spent watching the classic, newly-launched version of Nickelodeon’s “Nick at Nite” line-up well into the wee hours. One of the shows featured quite prominently in that evening-into-morning viewing was Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP), a take-off on the spy genre and Get Smart, but featuring an entirely simian cast… Yes, real chimps (you could never get away with it today). Kitschy fun, you can now own 12 swingin’ episodes in this 2-disc set.
Amongst all the sadly misbegotten misfires in the Masters of Horror anthology, Joe Dante’s entry – Homecoming (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$16.98 SRP) – is the only one that seems to have had any really thought towards telling a genuinely thrilling, and thought-provoking, tale. The basic premise is that, on the eve of a Presidential election, the incumbent Republican administration is afraid that their very unpopular – and very costly – overseas war will scuttle their hopes for a second term. They idly wish that some of those surely patriotic war dead could somehow testify to what a good cause the administration was fighting for – not reckoning that the soldiers will actually start rising from the dead… and begin voting. Yeah, you heard me. The disc features audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, interviews, and more.
Irwin Allen’s Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea returns with the second half of the show’s first season (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), featuring another 16 episodes chock full of the Seaview’s deep sea adventures. Bonus features include a blooper reel and David Heddison interviews. I just wish Fox would get it through their thick heads – like every studio has – to STOP USING DOUBLE-SIDED DISCS. Crikey, people, come on!
The docs, nurses, and staff of County General return in the fifth season of ER (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), featuring the swan song of Clooney’s Dr. Ross, the rise of Dr. Carter, and the arrival of med student Lucy Knight. In addition to all 22 episodes, the 6-disc set features unaired scenes and the always welcome gag reel.
It’s interesting how different the comedy of I Dream of Jeannie plays in its second season (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP), as it made the transition from black & white to glorious color. Jeannie is one of those shows that cries out for color, as the 60’s began to blossom in technicolor brilliance and TV was pulled along with it, filled with fantasies of witches and monsters and genies.
The massive, nearly 400-page Who’s Who in Animated Cartoons (Applause Books, $19.95 SRP) certainly lives up to its title, featuring entries on scores of animators, animation directors, and animation producers. This a handy, essential resource covering the international animation scene, and is a must-have considering the bargain price.
Like an endearingly British cross between Quincy and CSI, McCallum (Koch, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) stars Jack Hannah as Dr. Iain McCallum, a pathologist solving cases based on forensics. What really makes the series – all 9 episodes of which are featured in this 5-disc set – is Hannah’s performance… Truly a thing of greatness.
It takes a great filmmaker to make auto racing in the least bit interesting to me, but John Frankenheimer managed that none-too-small feat with Grand Prix (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$20.98 SRP), starring James Garner as a Formula 1 racer out to capture the championship, and featuring brilliant split-screen work to show multiple points of view and keep viewers right there on the track. The new 2-disc special edition features remastered picture and sound, four new making-of documentaries, and a vintage featurette.
When faced with sudden widowhood and poverty, Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) decides to do whatever she can to support her kids and their middle-class suburban lifestyle, including entering the workforce. Her rather unorthodox choice of careers, though, is as a marijuana dealer. Sly and satirical, Weeds (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) is like a cross between Traffic and Reefer Madness, with just a little touch of Desperate Housewives. The 2-disc first season set features all 10 episodes plus audio commentaries, a mockumentary, behind-the-scenes snippets, and more.
The brief 18-episode run of The Ellen Show (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP) finds its star in a state of flux following the unfortunate flameout of her once great eponymous sitcom, which is a true shame considering what a brilliant comic delivery Degeneres has. Returning to her hometown to receive an award, she finds nothing has changed – from her teacher Mom to the unfortunate romantic choices of her sister – and is stranded when her LA dotcom goes bust. As you can guess, comedy ensues.
Who knew Jamie Kennedy could do stand-up? Well, he can, and if you spin Jamie Kennedy Unwashed: The Stand-Up Special (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP), you’ll be as amazed as I was that he’s actually quite funny. The disc is also loaded with bonus features.
Phish fans will delight in the 2-disc release of Phish: Live in Brooklyn (Rhino, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), recorded at Keyspan Park on June 17th, 2004. The set features 21 performances, excerpts from the sound check, backstage footage, and 3 additional performances from the following night.
If you’re in the mood for serviceable horror on a low budget with an all-star cast of genre b-listers, look no further than the fine folks at Anchor Bay, whose latest is The Garden (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), starring Claudia Christian, Lance Henriksen, Sean Young, and a mysterious ranch where nightmares come to life. Brrrr. Scary. The disc feature audio commentary with director Don Michael Paul, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and the theatrical trailer.
The first issue of Paul Dini’s run on the (thankfully) revamped Detective Comics (DC, $2.95) hit shelves this week, and you gotta run to your local comic shop and snatch it up, then hunt down Paul at Comic-Con in just a little over a week and get him to sign it. Or just stare at him from across a room, wondering why so few have such a brilliant handle on the Dark Knight like Paul does. You may also recall that Mr. Dini and his sock monkey son Rashy do their own talk show here at Quick Stop, “Monkey Talk”. You should really check that out, too. Hint. Hint.
When most creative people view the re-launch of a venerable franchise as a 1,2,3 process of simply wiping out what came before and starting from scratch, it takes a delicate hand – and an often harrowing leap of faith – to decide to revitalize a franchise while still keeping its previous continuity intact. It’s rare that such an endeavor proves successful, but just such a creative miracle was achieved by Russell T. Davies, executive producer the rejuvenated Doctor Who (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP). Re-launched last year on the BBC to critical praise and fan approval, the Doctor’s adventures pulled in huge audiences of both old and new fans of all ages, proving that you don’t always have to throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. Starring Christopher Eccleston as the time traveling Doctor (the ninth in a line that’s included the legendary Tom Baker, Jon Pertwee, Patrick Troughton, Sylvester McCoy, Colin Baker, Peter Davison, William Hartnell, and Paul McGann) and Billie Piper as faithful and feisty companion Rose Tyler, it’s amazing how well it all pulled together. The 5-disc complete first season set features all 13 episodes, plus audio commentaries and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
With a title like Loving the Machine: The Art and Science of Japanese Robots (Kodansha America, $26.95 SRP), how could I not crack this book open as soon as I laid eyes on it? Thankfully, its contents live up to the title, featuring everything from Astroboy to assembly line mechanical arms dueling with lightsabers at a trade show.
Tom DeFalco returns with another in his fascinating Comics Creators On… series, this time focusing on the writers and artists behind the long history of those mighty mutants, the X-Men (Titan Books, $17.95 SRP). Interviewees include Stan Lee, John Byrne, Chris Claremont, Alan Davis, Grant Morrison, Louise Simonson, Dave Cockrum, and more.
Hans Zimmer’s scores too often veer into sonic wallpaper for me, but I was duly impressed by his score for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (Walt Disney Records, $18.98 SRP), a rousing, swashbuckling affair that captivated me from start to finish. Stunning, I know.
It took a film like Find Me Guilty (Fox, Rated R, DVD-$27.98 SRP) to remember that, when he tries and he has a solid director and script behind him, Vin Diesel can actually act. Here he plays Jackie Dee DiNorscio, a real life gangster who refused to rat out the Luccehese crime family and instead opted to defend himself – in what turned out to be one of the most surreal trials of al time. Wisecracking and affable, DiNorscio turned the court upside down, and Diesel delivers a memorable performance bringing it to cinematic life. The DVD features a conversation with director Sidney Lumet, TV spots, and the theatrical trailer.
Jack Kirby’s epic Fourth World gets the spotlight in the latest tabloid-sized issue (#46) of the Jack Kirby Collector (Twomorrows, $9.95 SRP), packed with original pencil sketches, rare pages, and so much more cool stuff that upholds Twomorrows rep as the best comics history torchbearer publishing today.
Also worth checking out is the first volume in the 3-volume arc of graphic novels acting as a prequel to director Richard Kelly’s Southland Tales, Two Roads Diverge (Graphitti Designs, $12.95 SRP). The film itself will comprise the final three volumes of the saga, so pick up a copy and get started on a most unique journey.
Farrah Fawcett had departed (save for a guest appearance), and you could tell that it was the beginning of the end for those femmes of the mission impossible set, Charlie’s Angels (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP). The 6-disc third season set contains all 24 episodes – one of which features a guest turn from Scatman Crothers. Scatman Crothers plusses anything he graces.
It’s amazing when the myth of a man overtakes the reality, and it’s unfortunate that the myths held about comic book artist/writer John Byrne so often skew negative – because the reality is far from the grotesque image of an egocentric madman continually perpetuated across the ‘net. In truth, Byrne is one of the most influential artists still working today, whose work has shaped not just one, but three generations of artists and fans (yes, he really has been around that long now). He’s also incredibly articulate and, yes, opinionated about comics as an artform, and comic books as an industry (he also tends to be correct in his assessments). Those views, and his reflections on his career, can be found in the massive interview that accompanies dozens of sketches, pages, and other miscellaneous art spanning Byrne’s 30+ year career that’s collected in the latest volume of Twomorrows’ always must-buy Modern Masters series (
Ya gotta love it when a TV series kicks its DVD release schedule into overdrive, as the often long, lingering wait becomes a rapid-fire completion of a show’s run. Case in point is Roseanne, which mere months after its last release is already streeting the sitcom’s fourth season (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). A wedding in Vegas, reduced breasts, an alien abduction, birth control, and bowling are just a few of the highlights, including one of the show’s most memorable Halloween outings (Dan & Roseanne’s infamous trick on the neighbors). Bonus features include video commentaries with Roseanne on select episodes, an interview with the domestic goddess, and an interview with Alicia Goranson (Becky) and Michael Fishman (DJ).
To most, Terry Jones is best known as 1/6 of the Monty Python troupe. To some, though, he’s also earned a reputation as a self-trained historian and presenter of some of the most engaging historical documentaries to come down the pike. In fact, his documentary on the Crusades is a must-see for anyone who wants an accurate portrait of that centuries-long series of conflicts, from not just a religious, but also social perspective. The thing that makes Jones’ documentary work so wonderful is his ability to not only look at history in a new way, but present it as an entertaining tale involving flesh & blood people no different than you or I. His latest project focuses on the millennia of misinformation about the peoples we’ve come to lump together as Barbarians – the savages that destroyed the once mighty Roman empire, center of learning, culture, and history’s societal touchstone. But, of course, that’s all bollocks propaganda, as you’ll discover in both the documentary series and its accompanying book (written with Alan Ereira), Terry Jones’ Barbarians (BBC Books, $29.95 SRP).
I doubted that Monk would recover from its previous season’s shake-ups, but the ship finally began to right itself in season four (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP). It still wasn’t up to the genius of its first season, but I could watch Tony Shalhoub read the phone book backwards, and his OCD detective is still a classic television creation. The 4-disc set features all 16 episodes, plus featurettes on the writing process and how to be a writer for the show.
As the title so blatantly sets out, 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP) collects together a batch of acclaimed directors to detail the 10 often-overlooked events that proved to be pivotal, from something as small as a local rebellion to a few bullets that assassinated a President at a World’s Fair. It’s a fascinating look at the waves of historical causality. The set also contains a behind-the-scenes featurette.
In 1966, Jackie Gleason decided to being back The Honeymooners – but this time, it was in color. Art Carney returned as Ed Norton, but both Alice and Trixie were recast, there were musical numbers, and the vibe wasn’t quite the same (as you might well imagine). You can get a 9-episode sample via The Color Honeymooners: Collection 1 (MPI, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP).
While I found his book on the art of the storyboard to be interesting, my heart really belongs to 
Yellowbeard (MGM/UA, Rated PG, DVD-$14.94 SRP) is one of those glorious comedic clusterf***s that collapse under a their sheer directionless weight and a desire to throw in everything, plus the kitchen sink (see 1941). A slapstick high seas pirate adventure, it’s largely a Cheech & Chong vehicle – with John Cleese, Eric Idle, Marty Feldman, Graham Chapman, Peter Boyle, and Peter Cook thrown in for good measure. In fact, this was the flick that killed Feldman, as he died during production. So did the film.
As much as my rational mind tells me to look away from the cultural trainwreck on display, any time I’ve run across an episode of Fear Factor, I simply can not look away from the sad state of societal decay I see before me. It’s ludicrous, often disgusting, and entirely mesmerizing. The 2-disc complete first season set (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) features all 9 episodes, hosted with welcome condescension by Joe Rogan.
Speaking of Civilisation (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$79.98 SRP), Sir Kenneth Clark’s globe-trotting epic documentary series – first broadcast in 1969 by the BBC – has also made its way to DVD. With the notion of charting the “history of ideas as illustrated by art and music,” is journey from the fall of the Roman Empire to the (then) present day, examining Europe’s greatest landmarks and charting the development of Western European culture. The 4-disc set also features an interview with Sir David Attenborough about the series, a photo gallery, and a companion booklet.
Finally figure out all those Mr. French jokes your smug pop culture-savvy friends continue to hurl at you with the complete first season of Family Affair (MPI, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), which starred Sebastian Cabot as the English manservant of bachelor architect Bill Davis (Brian Keith), whose loner life is unexpectedly saddled with the three children of his brother and sister-in-law when they die in a plane accident. Soon Davis and French take to the brood, and a family is born. An you can get all those Mr. French references. The 5-disc set features all 30 episodes plus an interview with Kathy Garver.
Peter Falk’s shuffling, rumpled detective returns in the fifth season of Columbo (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), featuring all 6 telemovies plus a bonus episode of Mrs. Columbo (“Caviar With Everything”).
The Cult of the Suicide Bomber (Disinformation, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP) is a riveting documentary examining the origins and evolution of the suicide bomber, hosted by former CIA agent Robert Baer (whose book See No Evil was the basis for Syriana). Reaching back to the very first modern suicide bomber, a 13-year-old martyred in the Iran-Iraq war, it’s a story that we live with daily in today’s Middle East.
Patricia Routledge’s suburban PI is back in the third & fourth series of Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP each). Think of it as a witty, Brit Murder She Wrote and you won’t be far off.
Dogged by showrunner changes and a mid-stream shift in tone and focus, Commander In Chief (Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP) – focusing on the administration of President Mackenzie Allen (Geena Davis) – just never captured the audience that it had with a relatively strong debut last season. This 2-disc set collects the first 10 episodes but not a bonus feature in sight.
I don’t know what it is, but sometimes you can’t help but laugh hysterically at a clearly over-the-top gorefests that have, for some reason, passed into cult status. A trio of those laughably bloody baddies have just hit DVD – Blood Bath, Shockheaded, Funny Man (Subversive Cinema/Heretic, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP each), which even stars the god of working Brit actors, Christopher Lee. All three flicks feature audio commentaries and behind-the-scenes materials.
If pressed to name only one show as my absolute, bar none, unequivocal favorite sitcom of all time, it would have to be NewsRadio. Across a too-short 5 season run, I can’t name a single bad episode, and even those that fell below the high bar it set for itself still outstripped other shows. The penultimate fourth season (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP) cranks up the already surreal nature of the comedy, including Jimmy James’s fake balloon trip (and the bad English to Japanese to English translation of his memoirs, Super Karate Monkey Death Car), Lisa becoming the new boss, Joe’s fighting brothers, Bill’s chaw phase, Dave’s a cappella group (Chock Full of Notes), Matthew’s run-in with a coffee pot smashing Hamburglar, and the departure of Catherine. This was also the last season featuring Phil Hartman, as his untimely death occurred during the show’s summer hiatus. In fact, the season ends on a note eerily similar to the poignant John Belushi SNL short film wherein an elderly Belushi recounted the deaths of his fellow castmates and his comparatively long life. The final episode that Phil Hartman filmed was another of the show’s “fantasy” outings, this time positing what it would be like if the staff of WNYX was actually the crew of a seagoing vessel in the early 20th century on a course for disaster, the Titanic. Bookended with Phil “hosting” the episode, the final segment reveals that the entire crew has perished save for Hartman’s Bill MacNeal and Andy Dick’s Matthew. You’ll be missed, Phil, but I can think of no better body of work to act as a tribute to a great performer. Bonus materials include audio commentaries (still too few), another “One Man NewsRadio,” and a gag reel.
While the bulk of the adult swim line-up has failed to fire me with the same thrill I got from when the block first launched all those years ago, there is one show that has proven an exception to my apathy, and established itself as one of the funniest comedies – animated or otherwise – I’ve ever taken a shine to. That show is The Venture Bros. (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), a brilliant pastiche of pulp, comic book, and adventure clichés, all wrapped up in a beautifully executed premise that owes as much to Doc Savage and Boys Own Adventures as it does to the Hanna-Barbera classic Jonny Quest. If you’ve yet to experience the surreal adventures of brothers Hank & Dean, their father Dr. Venture, and bodyguard Brock Samson, then you’re missing out on one of the good ones. The 2-disc set features all 13 episodes, the original pilot, the Christmas special, audio commentaries (from creator Jackson Publick and co-writer Doc Hammer) on select episodes, deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes look at the live action VB movie, and more. Don’t forget that the second season premieres on June 25.
Everybody has a favorite band or musician for which they’ll crusade to all they encounter, encouraging the unenlightened to sample what they feel is true musical genius. It’s even more important when those favorite artists are profoundly underappreciated. For me, that’s Harry Nilsson – an unbelievably gifted singer/songwriter hailed by the Beatles as their “favorite group.” Even if the name is not immediately familiar, a few of his songs have attained legendary status, including “One,” “Coconut,” and his definitive covers of “Without You” and “Everybody’s Talkin’.” All this prelude is to heartily encourage that you pick up a pair of new fully remastered Nilsson albums – Son of Schmilsson and A Little Touch of Schmilsson In The Night (RCA/Legacy, $11.98 SRP each). Trust me on this. Both albums are also loaded with rare bonus tracks, and excellent liner notes from Nilsson fan Curtis Armstrong… Yes, *that* Curtis Armstrong. And while you’re at it, be sure to snag a copy of the perfect primer, Everybody’s Talkin’: The Very Best of Harry Nilsson (RCA/Legacy, $11.98 SRP).
Admittedly, a large degree of what drew me in to the first season of Deadwood, when I ran across an episode by chance, was the shock value of what I beheld. Not just the language, mind you, but also the vivid characters in the Old West setting, reinventing a genre in the same way The Sopranos dusted off the mob drama. The second season (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP) takes the diminished shock value of any show’s sophomore season and makes it integral to the plotline, as the lawless Black Hills camp begins the anarchic, and ultimately bloody, process of becoming a legitimate town ruled by laws beyond those of will and gun. The 6-disc set features all 12 episodes, plus commentaries, a behind-the-scenes look at the finale, a historical featurette on the real Deadwood, and a photo gallery.
I’m not recommending Jay Edwards’ fun 60’s beach blanket bingo horror pastiche Stomp! Shout! Scream! (
Just about every aspect of the Walt Disney Company’s history has been examined, but one glaring exception has finally be rectified with Mouse Tracks: The Story of Walt Disney Records (University Press of Mississippi, $25.00 SRP), an exhaustively researched history by Tim Hollis and Greg Ehrbar. From the label’s inception and rocky start in the mid-50’s through a rollercoaster of highs, lows, and classic albums for both kids and adults, it’s a must-have reference.
Warners’ commitment to releasing some true gems from out of their vaults continues with the second volume of The Bette Davis Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), featuring Jezebel, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, Old Acquaintance, Marked Woman, and The Man Who Came To Dinner (as well as the documentary Stardust: The Bette Davis Story). All 5 flicks contain audio commentaries, featurettes, trailers, vintage shorts, and classic cartoons. No one does catalogue like Warners.
While a third DVD release may be inconceivable to some, that’s exactly what the latest 2-disc special edition of The Princess Bride (MGM/UA, Rated PG, DVD-$24.96 SRP) is, but after a trio of tries, they’ve finally gotten it right. Fully remastered and looking pretty damn spiffy, with bonus feature mixing the materials found on the last special edition with a new batch of extras – it’s got an audio commentary with director Rob Reiner, a commentary with writer William Goldman, “As You Wish: The Story of The Princess Bride” documentary, a historical analysis of the Dread Pirate Roberts, Cary Elwes’ home movies, a make-up featurette, “Love Is Like a Storybook Story” featurette, a vintage making-of featurette, and a photo gallery.
The man who made “Inconceivable!” such an iconic catchphrase has got a brilliant release of his own worth snagging. Wallace Shawn’s one-man-show The Fever (Shout! Factory, $11.98 SRP) is a tour-de-force, and should be in your CD player. Now.
Just in time for the big screen outing of 46-year-old high schooler Jeri Blank, fans finally get the 6-disc, complete series set of Strangers With Candy (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$54.99 SRP) that we should have gotten in the first place. In addition to the bonus materials featured in the original individual releases, this new compendium includes additional audio commentaries, deleted scenes, 2 never-before-seen director’s cuts, on-set interviews with the characters, a blooper reel, a slide presentation from Noblet and Jellineck’s tropical “research” trip, and more. Can somebody tell me why this show was cancelled?
While some kids got swept up in the worlds of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, I fell head over heels for Lloyd Alexander’s tales from the kingdom of Prydain, focusing mainly on the adventures and maturation of a young pig-keeper named Taran and his kingly destiny. Where the Rings trilogy concerns itself with being an encyclopedia of Middle-Earth, the Prydain Chronicles were exactly the kind of rousing, character-driven adventures that would transport a young reader to another world. The 5 books in the series (The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer, The High King) and the prequel (The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain) have been re-released (Henry Holt, $5.99 SRP each), and I can’t praise them highly enough. It’s unfortunate that, to this day, the on big screen adaptation of this series remains Disney’s unfortunate take on The Black Cauldron. It’s high time that was rectified with a proper treatment – but until then, having the books back in print will suffice.
In a rivalry spanning decades (and a backstory that seems to change depending on which direction the editorial wind happens to be blowing that day), 
